The invention is directed to the design and construction of entrance mats, for lobby and marquee areas, for example, and particularly to matting of articulated construction, formed of relatively rigid, slat-like units, connected by hinges and arranged to be rolled up for removal and storage. Roll-up matting is, in general, known to the art in such forms as reflected in the Bartlett U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,834, the Balzer U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,587, the Ellingson U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,061, and the like. Such matting has been sold by Pawling Corporation under the trademarks "Rol Del-I" and "Rol Dek-II" and is illustrated in Pawling Corporation's "Selection Guide 1987, Floor Mats & Matting". In each of these known constructions, a floor mat structure is comprised of elongated, relatively narrow slat-like elements, formed of relatively rigid material, such as extruded metal or extruded structural plastic. Extruded aluminum is a material of choice for this purpose. The individual slats may be a few inches in width and several feet in length, and are connected in an articulated manner, so that each is hingedly associated with its neighbor.
In the construction of the Bartlett U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,834, ball and socket type hinge element are integrally formed in the extruded slat-like members. The ball and socket hinge elements are continuously extruded on opposite edges of the members and enables one slat-like member to be hingedly joined to its neighbor.
In the structure of the Balzer and Ellingson U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,568,587 and Re. 32,061, adjacent slat-like members are joined by separate, elongated hinging elements. In the case of the structure of the Balzer patent, the hinge elements are formed of a flexible material, so that adjacent rigid slat-like members are hingedly joined with each other through the medium of a bendable, resilient connnector. In the case of the Ellingson U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,061, the principal slat-like members are joined by a rigid ball and socket type hinge member which joins neighoring slats. The slats thus may be formed with female hinge grooves, which are joined in the assembly with an elongated, narrow hinge element, formed of a pair of continuous ball-type hinge elements along its opposite edges.
In all of the foregoing constructions, matting of relatively rigid construction, and typically formed of extruded aluminum slat-like sections, can be easily rolled up for removal and storage.
The present invention is directed to roll-up matting of the general type represented by the above described structures, which is characterized by the corporation of a plurality of structural improvement features which simplify and expedite the construction and assembly of the mat and thereby significantly reduce its final cost.
In roll-up mats of known construction, the individual slat-like members are commonly constructed of a principal structural element of extruded aluminum. The aluminum slats are formed with an upwardly opening channel on their upper faces, provided at opposite sides with short, inwardly directed flanges. Elongated tread strips, wihch may be formed of carpet-like material, plastic, or the like, are slideably received endwise into the open slat channels or inserted by engaging one side of the slat channel and then folding and snap-fitting the tread thus engaging the other side and provide a resilient mat surface in the assembled structure. The lower surface of the extruded aluminum slat section typically is provided with a spaced apart pair of channels extending the full length of the slat (i.e. from side to side of the assembled mat). These channels are likewise formed with opposed, inwardly extending flanges, for receiving resilient pad strips, which extend from one end to the other of the slat-like members.
In most of the structures of heretofore known design, elements of generally similar purpose to those described above have been utilized. In order to retain the strip-like elements in their assembled positions within the extruded slat-like sections, mat structures of known types historically have utilized somewhat cumbersome and/or labor intensive arrangements. In some cases, the tread strips may be riveted in place at one or both ends of the metal slat, for example. If the element is designed to be sufficiently frictionally tight on assembly, problems may be encountered during the assembly operation in feeding a highly elongated, thin, narrow strip into the full length of its supporting metal strip. Accordingly, it is preferable to allow reasonable clearance to secure the tread strip after its assembly. In the case of the pad strips, extending along the bottom of the extruded slat-like sections, one common practice has involved the use of elongatable, resilient elements, such as shown in the Bartlett U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,834, for example. These elements can be stretched lengthwise, by workers stationed at opposite ends of the mat during assembly. The elongated elastic elements are thus reduced in diameter sufficiently to be forced into restricted slat openings of grooves provided for their reception. After insertion of the grooves, the longitudinal tension can be removed, allowing the elements to contract in length and expand in diameter sufficiently to be retained in position. This operation, of course, requires the cooperation of two workers and is highly labor intensive.
In accordance with the present invention, a roll-up mat structure is provided, which is so designed as to enable the upper tread elements and the lower pad strips to be freely inserted endwise or topwise, from one side of the mat. A resilient nosing strip, extending along each side edge of the mat, and which is easily and quickly attached to the assembled slat-like elements, serves to retain all of the tread strips and pad strips in their assembled positions. The resilient nosing strips, pursuant to the structure of the invention, are quickly and easily attached along the side edges of the mat structure without riveting or other time consuming manufacturing steps. The various elements of the mat are effectively maintained in assembled relation, yet substantial manufacturing cost is avoided.
For a better understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and to the accompanying drawings.